


A Universe Without You

by Casmiko



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adventures on Alien Planets, Before the Timeless Child, F/F, Gayness, Season/Series 12, The Doctor and Yaz falling in Love, duh - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:01:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23274412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casmiko/pseuds/Casmiko
Summary: Various adventures through Time and Space with the Doctor and her fam before the ending of Series 12. Intense/fun adventures with fluff in between. Lot of gay shit.
Relationships: Grace O'Brien/Graham O'Brien, Graham O'Brien & Ryan Sinclair, Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan, Yasmin Khan & Graham O'Brien
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. Mucking Around with You (Part 1)

The TARDIS orbited a large, blue-ish star. Yaz's legs dangled over the ledge. She felt the slight chill of space, yet she knew without the TARDIS protecting her, the temperature would be much worse, 'I can't believe I've been stranded in space before,' she thought. She looked deeper into the void, finding the hint of purples and blues amongst the bright stars. She didn't hear the clatter of footsteps behind her, but when she felt the Doctor's familiar hand on her shoulder, she wasn't startled. The Doctor settled down right next to Yaz and looked at the beautiful universe before them.

The Doctor often found Yaz dangling her legs out of the TARDIS. 'This is so beautiful...', Yaz thought, 'I wonder... Does she have the TARDIS orbit of the most beautiful constellations just for me to find in the middle of the night?"

Yaz laughed at her internal ridiculousness and The Doctor turned, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing" Yaz stated with a smile, "What's the name of this constellation?"

"Cassiopeia."

"Isn't that the W?"

"Well, yeah, but that name doesn't sound quite so beautiful."

"Not like The Doctor."

The Doctor turned, surprised by Yaz's response - was she flirting? Or commenting on the alien's mysterious past?

Yaz looks at The Doctor, catching her eye for a moment, "Sorry, I'm tired. See you tomorrow? Or er, whenever tomorrow comes?"

"Goodnight, Yaz."

Yaz stood, "Goodnight, Doctor."

\---

The jolt of a halting TARDIS woke Yaz and she laughed with excitement - 'What did today hold for her? What planet were they on and what mess would the Doctor get them into?'

Since there were no sirens or shouts, Yaz knew she had a few minutes before the Doctor would demand them in the console room. She jumped from her bed into the shower, taking note that her shampoo and conditioner is continuing to deplete at an alarming rate. The scent of lavender and freshwater filled the room as fast as steam and Yasmin Kahn relished in the delightful moment.

In the kitchen, Graham already had a kettle going with several mugs in front of him, each one clearly representing its' owner. The Doctor's mug was a deep, dark blue with a metallic handle that reminded him of her sonic screwdriver. Ryan had a mug in the shape of a basketball, which Graham didn't understand the appeal, but did note that each time Ryan took a sip of his tea, he would grin like a child on their birthday. Yaz had a handpainted, handmade mug decorated in colors of red, orange, and gold. It reminded him of their trip to India/Pakistan and Graham wondered if Yaz thought of her grandmother each morning as he thought of Grace. From the outside, Graham's mug was nothing special, but it had a hidden secret within. On one trip through an alien market, The Doctor had found this mug and gifted it to Graham. It was white with a sturdy handle and on the inside lay a painted green frog. He cried on the spot, of course. It was perfect.

Ryan pulled a stool up to the kitchen counter and grabbed a bowl, Krispies, and milk. He doused his cereal in milk and grinned at Graham when he handed him his cuppa. "You know," Graham started, "Sugary cereal ain't good for you first thing in the morning."

Ryan ignored the comment, but sipped his tea, "Thanks, Gramps." 

Graham smiled, "Anytime, Son."

Ryan put in his wireless headphones and jammed out to whatever punk bass song he was currently enthralled in. Graham poured in his water and watched the green frog disappear with the fogginess of the earl grey. 

"Morning," Yaz chimed in as he came into the kitchen. Ryan nodded to her and Graham handed Yaz her cuppa, "Thanks, Graham. You always beat me to it."

"Morning bus schedule never quite leaves you."

"Any Doctor?"

"Not yet. She seems to be doing better though."

"Yeah, I only catch hints of sadness now since talking about- "

"Morning Fam!" The Doctor bursts into the kitchen, grabbing her mug already filled with tea and chugging half before she stops moving.

"!Careful, it's boiling."

The Doctor smiled, "I once ran through the volcanic tunnels of Pompeii on eruption day - I think I can handle the heat."

Yaz perked up, "You're such a liar."

"Me? A liar? I am a mad person, but not a liar. Donna Noble and I..."

The Doctor fades off, staring into space like she can see what lays outside of the TARDIS.

"Donna Noble... I don't think you've mentioned her before. Who was she?" Yaz questions.

"A brilliant woman," The Doctor snaps back, "You lot, I've got a special day planned, c'mon."

\---

The Doctor, Yaz, Graham, and Ryan stand in front of the TARDIS doors. Excitement radiated off of The Doctor as she turned around to face her fam, "Now, we've all been really busy and distracted lately, so I thought a proper spa day would suit us well, especially after the one-star vacation on Orphan 55."

Ryan tensed.

"Welcome to the Clear Aquatic Paradise!"

In her signature grand gesture, the Doctor flung open the TARDIS' doors revealing the complete opposite of a paradise - before the group was a swamp wasteland. Mud bubbled and oozed for miles in front of them and even some seeped into the TARDIS' entryway. Ryan shouted and jumped back in disgust while the TARDIS beeped in distress.

"Uhh," Graham started, but the Doctor finished, "Yes, well this does seem a bit different from last I visited."

"You mean that Clear Aquatic Paradise wasn't a marsh pit before?" Yaz asked, very sarcastically.

"Yes, well..."

"We're going to leave, right Doctor? We aren't going to walk through this mud and figure out what has happened to this planet, right?" Ryan asked, but already knew the answer. The promised spa day was now replaced with the experience of walking through mud. His shoulder's dropped, yet Yaz seemed more excited, "Let me go get my Mucks."

"Grab my pair?" The Doctor called back to Yaz, "Always."


	2. Mucking Around with You (Part 2)

The mud squished and squashed beneath Yaz's boots. She was thankful the Doctor had given her these magnetic couplers which was a fancy-sounding device to basically make sure muck didn't seep into the top of her boots. Ryan, even with the device and ample protection, was not happy. Each step you could see his temptation to run back to the TARDIS - he was not one for 'getting his hand's dirty.'

Yaz laughed aloud and the Doctor turned, "Did I miss something? A joke?"

"No, just cracking myself up."

"You know, I'm going to have to hear some of these internal jokes of yours."

"I'm quite the comedian," Yaz let out another chuckle.

"Not that I mind this much," Graham started, "But any idea where we goin'? My legs are already gettin' tired."

Ryan nodded too eagerly, "And who knows whats creeping around in this muck? Could be dangerous, poisonous mud - we should just head back to the TARDIS and call it a day."

"Oi, you two" The Doctor called, "Ryan, I already told you I scanned it and it's normal mud. There's nothing villainous about it, which is why we're searching for the source." The Doctor checked her surroundings again, listening to the chirps and whirls of her device, "And we're getting close, Graham. Maybe instead of complaining, you should be laughing like Yaz."

"Does this mean I get points for not complaining?" Yaz beamed.

"Of course! 10 points."

You could hear the eye-roll of Graham and Ryan when a tiny hut on sticks could suddenly be seen ahead of them with a slight shift of fog.

"Now that looks like something." Yaz declared.

"A small house on stilts?" Graham asked.

"Come' on, fam! Found our first lead."

The four continued to trudge through, slowly approaching what could best be described as two wooden shacks joined together by a slim wooden pathway, all elevated out of the mud.

"You know, this reminds me a lot of Chicago, back in 1857. They used wooden planks as sidewalks so they didn't have to walk in the mud, which of course didn't help stop the whole fire when it hit in 1872. Was there, didn' ya know. Managed to save people from the collapsing bridges by convincing them to go to the beaches instead."

"Did Chicago smell as gross back then as this does now?" Ryan asked.

"Worse!" The Doctor scrunched her face from the memory, "Humans! You smell bad until the 25th century."

"We're from the 21st," Yaz said, concerned.

"Right! You lot, are..." The Doctor stopped and turned to them, "You mean to smell like a ripe onion being barbequed, right?"

Before anyone could answer, a small child appeared on the edge of the wooden plank. He looked down at the new arrivals, grinning with only a few teeth to show, "Ma! We got muckers!"

The door to one of the shacks slammed open and large women appeared, wielding a rifle. She aimed directly at the Doctor who held her hands up in the air, “We come in peace.”

“Don’t care much how you come, just want you gone,” The woman spits back.

“Why is this whole planet covered in muck?”

“Why haven’t you turned around yet? Does my rifle not convey my intent?”

“No,” The Doctor bemused, “Your intent is clear, but I am only wanting to understand. Can’t we at least have some understanding before we decide to turn around or walk closer?”

“We don’t accept no outsiders here.”

“And why’s that?”

“The last person we took in turned our oceans to mud, drove out all of our tourism, and left us to starve on an abandoned planet.”

Yaz perked up, “How could a single person pollute an entire world?”

“How indeed," The woman said, irritated, "Now get back where you came from you aliens.”

The Doctor scoffed, visibly insulted, “Your oceans, this whole world, it’s connected, isn’t it? Connected to a singular filtration device in the center of the planet.”

“How do you -“

“Which I assume you have tried to repair countless times making the world worse, further sinking the remaining population into despair.”

The woman shuffled in position, “Is this the part you tell me you can fix it?”

“Yes! Hello, I’m the Doctor.”

“A doctor?” The woman paused, rifle hesitating. She looked at the child, “Best you come in then, before nightfall.”

“What happens then?” Ryan gulped.

“The critters come out and they’ll eat you alive if the mud hasn't already.”

———

Yaz, Graham, and Ryan stood inside the shack, huddled around a makeshift heater which was just a pot filled with burning embers. They didn’t realize how cold they were until their boots were off and muscles relaxed. The Doctor, however, could have cared less about the heat. She inspected each part of the hut, taking inventory. Yaz couldn’t imagine what the Doctor was looking for as there wasn’t much to the shack. A section resembled a kitchen with a fridge and a counter and the room they were in had two beds laid out in the corner. The floor and walls and roof were wood and the coldness and stench of the mud wafted through the cracks. Yaz wondered why the mud wasn't used to fill the cracks in the walls, she seen it done in the past, and with the cracks filled, the hut would be much warmer.

“You both live here?” Yaz asked.

“Yes.” The woman answered, “Name is Izredi and this is my son, Myriad.”

“Good names." The Doctor beamed, "Now, what’s wrong with your son? May I examine him?”

“How did you-“

“You were gonna shoot my friends and me until I mentioned I was a doctor. Didn’t bother you if I could change the mud, but a person with healing knowledge, now that made you put down your gun. A parent will do anything for their child.”

Izredi nodded and knelt down next to her son, Myriad, “Go on, you can show the Doctor.”

The boy, hesitant, took a step toward the Doctor. She knelt and opened her body language toward him. He rolled up one pant leg showing a poorly managed bandage.

“May I?” The Doctor asked Myriad who nodded, sheepish. The Doctor carefully peeled the bandage away to reveal a gash in his leg filled with mud, blue ooze, and tiny creatures, like maggots, squirming away from the light. The Doctor had seen many things, but this was something new and terrifying. She could feel the mother’s fear as if it were her own and she took a deep breath. “Well ain’t that something. Did the mud cause this?”

The child nodded and Izredi communicated for him, “The mud used to be safe, during the day our people would trudge through it, cleaning the pollution and hunt for food, but slowly, each became infected.”

“Did they have open wounds like your son?” Yaz asked.

“No, that’s the thing, the mud caused the wound to open. A cut didn’t open and get contaminated, the cut opened by itself, oozing out mud, blue puss, and those... creatures.”

“You said the mud was safe!” Ryan shouts, “I told you something was gonna get us! We're probably already infected.”

“Don’t be daft,” Graham said.

“Actually,” The Doctor looked at her fam with concern and they knew what she was going to say, “There’s a high probability, intense chance we have been infected.” The Doctor turns back to Izredi, “What happened to the others?"

"Turned to mud eventually. You were walking right through them."

The Doctor paled and the fam was quiet. They had been walking through a graveyard all morning without a clue.

"Right then," The Doctor broke, "This is your access to the tunnels below, correct?" The Doctor didn't wait for an answer. In a grand gesture, she activated the sonic, pointing it to the fridge, Yaz thought, but the second the sonic chirped, the fridge no longer was a fridge, now appearing as a large time capsule looking object, positioned right in the middle of the kitchen. A hatch unlocked and the Doctor swung open the door, revealing a ladder leading down.

Izredi was a-gasp but the Doctor paid little attention. She turned back to Myriad and removed the remainder of his bandage. He took a sharp breath and she said, "Sorry, that bit always hurts."

The Doctor then took out fresh bandages and tape from her coat pocket along with some sort of disinfectant gel. She coated the wound in the gel and expertly wrapped the bandage around the wound. Myriad's mother was in shock until the Doctor stood and looked her in the eye, "Yes, I knew you had a perception filter over the tunnel entrance and I know that you are the protector for this sector. I'm assuming it's against protocol to take us below, but if you want to save your son, you're going to have to trust me."

"Will you cure him?"

The Doctor hesitated - how many times has she promised and failed to save the people around her? But how many times has she succeeded? The odds were in her favor with her fam standing behind her, so she smirked and said, "Yes. Plus, I'll save this whole planet while I'm at it."

"Impossible." The woman murmured.

"Only if you don't trust me, Izredi. Please," The Doctor pleaded and the woman softened.

"Put out the embers then and let's go." Izredi boomed, "No time to waste if we're gonna break the law."

"That's the spirit!"

The fam got quick to work on putting out the heat and stretching out their muscles in preparation for another trek into the unknown. Yaz found herself hovering near the Doctor who was surely calculating a thousand different scenarios that could occur after climbing down the ladder. Without meaning to, Yaz reached out and touched the Doctor's hand. The Doctor's attention was suddenly grounded and she looked at Yaz with curiosity, "You okay?"

"I was going to ask you the same question," Yaz smiled.

"Me? Always."

"What do you think is below the ground?"

"Either the cure, a deadly alien invasion, or a maze of tunnels," The Doctor nearly laughed.

"Is it weird that I'm hoping for all three?"

"Ditto."


End file.
